10. Alvin Martin
After rising through the ranks with the youth team, Alvin Martin went on to gain almost 600 first team appearances (scoring 34 goals) in a 21-year spell for West Ham. It was in the centre of defence alongside Billy Bonds where he played the best football of his career, winning an FA Cup and the Second Division in two consecutive years with the Hammers. Martin always stayed loyal to West Ham even through two relegations and for decades was the clubs longest serving player. He also made 17 appearances for England and was included in the 1986 World Cup squad (he was left out of the 1982 squad due to injury) in which he played in several games including the victory over Paraguay, but was dropped for the quarter-final defeat by Argentina's 'Hand of God'. After leaving West Ham, he had a brief spell with Leyton Orient and after retiring in 1997, went on to manage Southend United for two years. He is one of only two players (the other being Billy Bonds) to have been awarded two testimonial matches for his time at West Ham.
9. Julian Dicks
Julian Dicks had two spells with West Ham. After helping the Hammers gain promotion in his third season, the following year he picked up an injury that would eventually end his career. However, after recovering well from the injury to finish off the second half of the season, he was given the captain's armband when still only 23. After leaving the Hammers to go to Liverpool, he was re-signed by Harry Redknapp playing a major part to keep West Ham in the Premier League. In the 1995-1996 season, he was the clubs joint top goalscorer in the league with 10 goals as they finished 10th. He then sustained another knee injury meaning that he missed out on the whole 1997-1998 season, but returned the next year helping the Hammers secure fifth place and a UEFA Cup spot. He retired (due to his injury problems) after 11 years in total at West Ham (playing 315 games, scoring 64 goals and picking up the Hammer of the Year award 4 times) during which he was constantly a fan favourite due to his grit, determination and no-nonsense playing style.
8. Scott Parker
Scott Parker remained a constant success throughout his short 4-year stay at Upton Park. After joining in 2007 for £7 million, he received a few injuries meaning he didn't properly start his West Ham playing career until 2008. Throughout the next three seasons, he would play a major part in the side, orchestrating the team from the heart of midfield, making consistent intelligent passes and tackles, creating many match winning performances and constantly being able to keep his side in the game when all hope seemed lost. He also made a big influence on the players around him. Mark Noble has changed greatly for the better since his midfield partnership with Parker, and his current playing style can be said to slightly mirror the 32-year-old. His best season for the club came in the 2010-2011 season, where even though West Ham finished bottom that year, he still managed to pick up the PFA Player of the Year award and earn a place in the England starting line-up. He left Upton Park that summer in the most upsetting transfer saga in the club's history. He is one of only two players (the other being Trevor Brooking) to receive the Hammer of the Year award 3 times in a row. Scott Parker deserves his place in this list not because he was the best player in the team, but because he was the best player in the team by far!
The rest of this list will be coming soon.
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